Chinese Leader Asks Religious Believers to Contribute More To Nation 　　Li Ruihuan, NPC chairman and Standing Committee member of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau, asked leaders of religious organizations at a forum in Beijing on February 11 to continue to contribute to China's material development and its socialist cultural and ethical progress. 　　Patriotic religious organizations, religious leaders, and the religious believers made active contributions to economic construction, social stability, unity among ethnic groups, and flood fight last year, Li said, stressing that "China's current unity, stability, and continued development cannot be separated from the efforts of patriotic religious people." 　　Li asked religious believers to continue the fine tradition of love for the country and religion and to lead their people in contributing to developing China's material and socialist cultural and ethical progress. 　　He said that religious affairs departments and religious communities should earnestly implement the Party's policy of freedom of religion and that he hopes religious organizations will increase efforts to train young and middle-aged clergymen and to improve their quality. 　　Also present on the occasion were Ismail Amat, state councilor; Wang Zhongyu, state councilor and secretary-general of the State Council; Wang Zhaoguo, head of United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee; Zhao Puchu, vice-chairman of the CPPCC National Committee and chairman of the Buddhist Association of China; Ding Guangxun, vice-chairman of the CPPCC National Committee and honorary chairman of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement Committee of the Protestant Churches of China; and leaders from Chinese Catholic, Taoist, Islamic and other religious associations. HomeNews 1999-02-12 Page1 Full Story in Chinese